What the -el?

Believe it or not, celebs actually choose these baby names for a reason

October 04, 2005

Whether it's Superman, NASA or a piece of fruit, stars actually do have motivation for giving their babies the world's goofiest names. Nicolas Cage chose Superman as his muse, naming his newborn son Kal-el, after the Man of Steel's alien name on the planet Krypton. As for other actors and musicians, well, they have their motives.

Penn Jillette

BABY: Moxie CrimeFighter

REASON: "We chose her middle name because when she's pulled over for speeding, she can say, 'But officer, we're on the same side,' " the magician explained.

Gwyneth Paltrow

BABY: Apple

REASON: According to "Access Hollywood," Paltrow and hubby Chris Martin got the idea from Martin's North American booking agent, who has a daughter named Apple.

Erykah Badu

BABY: Puma

REASON: All Badu's rep would tell People magazine is that her daughter wasn't named after the sneaker, saying "Erykah is a little more down to earth than that."

Julia Roberts

BABY: Phinnaeus

REASON: Phinn takes his middle name, Walter, from her late father, but the origin of his first name is unknown.

Sylvester Stallone

BABY: Sage Moonblood

REASON: Beats us. We're still trying to figure that one out.

Bruce Willis

BABY: Rumer

REASON: Presumably, the name was a poke at the constant tabloid gossip Willis and ex-wife Demi Moore generated.

REASON: Lee says "Inspektor" was an homage to Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther films. As for Pilot, well, who doesn't love an aviator?

MUSIC NOTES

Around the world of sound

Lilo's world of confessions

Lindsay Lohan has set her "Confessions" to music.

The pop tart (and clearly a budding diva, if you caught Liz Crokin's "Eye Contact" column on Monday) has named her second album "Confessions of a Broken Heart."

To answer your first question, no, we still can't believe she was allowed to record another album either. To answer your second question, yes, the title sounds an awful lot like Usher's "Confessions" and Madonna's upcoming "Confessions on a Dance Floor."

Why so unoriginal, Lindsay? We thought of plenty of good album titles you could have used instead:

"Welcome to Your Music Store's 99-Cent Bin"

"Lohan: Behind the Freckles and Dead-to-the-World Stare"

"Get Rich or Diet Tryin' "

"Willlllll-merrrrrrrrrrrr!"

"Scream 4"

STAR GAZING

"A hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy of today's movers and shakers"

Becoming Hef

The king of the Playboy empire was once a Puritan trying to escape "a great deal of repression."

Hugh Hefner tells Time magazine he is a direct descendant of William Bradford, a Puritan who came over on the Mayflower. Hefner says he had to reinvent his identity to leave his Puritan roots behind.

"There was a great deal of repression in their lives and the way they were raised and, in turn, the way I was raised," he said.

He said the changes began in high school after he was rejected by a girl.

He started calling himself "Hef" and wore yellow cords, saddle shoes and flannel shirts he wouldn't tuck in instead of what his parents wanted.

Later, he took up pipe smoking and bought a Mercedes and the Playboy mansion.

"I became the personification of the prototype that I was describing in the magazine. I became, in effect, Mr. Playboy," he said.

HOLDING COURT: A California judge granted a request Monday by Pamela Anderson for a three-year restraining order against an alleged stalker. The judge called Anderson's claims against William Peter Stansfield, 29, "sufficient, clear and convincing" enough to issue the order. Stansfield told "Inside Edition" last week that Anderson's allegations were "outrageous."

THEY CLICK: Teen girls, rejoice, and warm up those vocal cords. Ryan Cabrera and bubble gum pop-rockers the Click Five are teaming up for a fall tour, billboard.com reports. They're set to play the Rosemont Theatre on Nov. 1.

KILLER SEQUEL: Can a second helping of The Killers be far away? You wouldn't be able to tell with all the beefs they've been having with other bands, but Brandon Flowers and Co. are indeed working on their sophomore album, mtv.com reports. No word on a release date. "I don't think one would be expecting to have another 'Somebody Told Me' on the record. But who knows?" drummer Ronnie Vannucci says. "It's not done yet."